Gerrymandering is a process where politicians can redraw electoral maps to make sure their majority usually wins elections. Politicians make sure each district has a majority voting block for their party, which creates a theoretical majority even if they don’t have a majority on a numbers basis.
So yeah, it sucks. But Wisconsin Republicans are Milking It with a capital M.
A Gerrymandered Decade
Republicans widely used gerrymandering in 2011 when the Wisconsin political maps were drawn following the 2010 census. They had full control over the maps and made them ensure the Republican Legislature would stay Republican for years.
That power seize was found unconstitutional in a federal court case. However, the case didn’t affect the maps and Republicans have dominated the Legislature ever since.
But how can you prove the gerrymandering directly gave Republicans this power? Well, the Legislature stays Republican every election cycle despite statewide elections often going blue in recent years (think Evers, Biden).
So something isn’t right and is probably associated with that unconstitutional and totally illegal 2011 thing.
Gerrymandering 2.0?
Unfortunately, Republicans want to do 2011 all over again. They’re trying to hire redistricting lawyers for $1 million and hide the map-making process from the general public.
The voters — not the politicians — should decide who they elect. One good way to restore democracy is by using The People’s Maps Commission, a nonpartisan group to draw the maps. They aren’t elected officials or lobbyists, but instead just normal Wisconsinites.
You can also help by not voting for the people that are trying to re-gerrymander the state.
